The Marvelous Land of Oz

No Dorothy in this second Oz book, but with a Gump, a Woogle-Bug, a Pumpkinhead, as well as the return of the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow, no Dorothy is needed.

Young Jip is under the care of the cruel witch Mombi. When she threatens to turn Jip into a statue, he decides to run away with Jack Pumpkinhead, a creature Jip constructed himself, newly animated by Mombi's potion, the Powder of Life.

And off the two go, and they have adventures that include trying to oust the girl soldiers who have taken over the Emerald City, escaping from the Jackdaws' nest, constructing their own flying Gump out of a moose head and two sofas and some palm fronds.

This may be my favorite Oz. How did I miss this as a child?

Of all the Oz books I've read, this is the one I remembered the most clearly, aside from The Wizard of Oz, and it was a delight to re-read it again.

Growing up, I was obsessed with the 1985 film Return to Oz, which drew heavily from this book (and the next one, I believe), and it was fun to recognize all the bits and pieces that made it into the film.

Maybe it shouldn't be that surprising since this was written during the Women's Suffrage movement, but it's quite a remarkable book to read in 2020 with several of its key plot points revolving around gender politics which surprisingly subvert the expectations that we might have of a novel written for children in 1904. There were a few moments that started making me cringe only for it it take a positive turn. In the end, the women are the heroes and the villains, and the men are kind of just along for the ride and happy to be there, so, honestly, I was living for it.

As a side note, it's actually incredible depressing to see how the women in Land of Oz are so compelling and given so much agency, only to remember how that awful, soulless dumpster fire of a movie from a few years ago – Oz the Great & Powerful – completely shortchanges the women in favor of Franco's insufferable, punchable-faced bro-dude of a Wizard... I'm still bitter... but I digress...

Also, Tip is also a wonderfully surprising character to find in a children's book that is over a century old, and I won't tell you why, but I've always found it incredibly fascinating and wonderful.

The book continues the quirky and whimsical yet darker tone of the books, which may surprise those only familiar with the Garland film (which I also love, but it's definitely its own thing). The returning characters' personalities and mannerisms continue to develop, and the new characters are charming and imaginative.

I've read a few others of the First Fourteen, but I don't remember them as well as the first two, so I'm excited to work my way through the rest.

This book is odd. It starts off with an army of girls taking over emerald city with knitting needles so they could have nice jewellery but ends with the most casual, no-big-deal gender transition in literary history. (not sure if a spoiler warning is needed on a 100 year old book but I didn't know it was coming so it was a big surprise to me)

Don't think it quite captures the magic of the first book (which might be my movie bias) but still a fun time. It's definitely kept me interested to read the rest.